DE 20 2004 006 265 U1 discloses a microtome which includes a magazine comprising a plurality of cassettes into which samples to be processed are embedded. The individual cassettes are supplied to the sample holder at the microtome with the aid of a gripper or displacer from the magazine and are returned into the same. Each time a cassette is to be supplied to the magazine, the magazine is displaced into such a position in which the desired cassette is located in the working area of the gripper or displacer. After the processed cassette has been returned, the magazine is displaced into a new position to supply the next cassette. The sequence of providing a cassette, supplying the sample to the cutting device, and returning the cassette into the magazine involves a certain amount of time.
With increasing automation of the work flow at the microtome, and with coding of the magazines and cassettes as described in DE 20 2004 006 265, it becomes possible to process the cassettes arranged in a magazine one after the other in the order of their placement in the magazine. While processing one cassette, the next cassette can be provided for processing, but this will block the return of the processed cassette into the magazine, so that the processed cassette would have to be manually removed from the sample holder at the microtome.